The Portland daily press., 1887-02-11

H. II. Kicker.
The following resolutions were offered bv
Secretary Rich:
whereas, The defenceless condition of orr sea.
coast IS matter Of much anxiety and general an.
prehenSlon, therefore be it "p
RESOLVED, That in the opinion of this hoard a,,,
longer delay on the part Of the United States ~
PROVIDE adequate protection for our harbors is in
lts judgment nadvisabe in view of fine Enormous
interests exposed to attack.
hesotved, That this board hereby urges the
members OF Congress from the State, to favor
sucn measures as will place our searboard cities
~ proper condition OF defence to impart a con
huehce 10 the people, of continued Tranquility.
MI. w. ,. Dana spoke in favor of the res
olutions and urged the members to read two
papers on our coast defences published in
the January and February numbers Of
Scribner's Magazine.
The resolutions were then unanimously
adopted.
MI Il. K. Pierce, appraiser at the Portland
custom house. was introduced to the board.
and being called on for remarks. said:
| did not expect to be called upon to speak
today but still do not feel to refuse to saw n
lew words in the line indicated bv
f sftaos secretary. l came to this city some
nIteen months ago, a comparative stranger
10 large number of the Portland business
men. AS citizen Of Maine | feel an inter.
est In Portland, feeling that ANYTHING
when is OF benefit to Portland is of benefit
70 Maine. have been glad to meet the bus
mess men of this city ond in nv department
have of necessity been thrown into a some
what intimate business connection with the
ieading importers. | soon found that for
various reasons not necessary for me to
enumerate here very large amount of bust
n .l was being done by our merchants
through other ports, and also that a very
large amount of business which legitimately
belonged to this port was by means of the
immediate transportation plan being all
sorDed, so far as the collection of dufies
was concerned, by other ports, while all
the wnlie this port was obliged to keen a
large force at work to handle goods, the mon
ey credit OF which was given In Washington
10 ports Wherellittle none of the work was
performed. When have found Portland
merchant who was importing largely through
1tner ports, notably Boston or New York, /
the reason therefor, and if for any reason of
supposed gain on his part because of better
rates or valuations, have endeayored Ia Sc
cure the same for him here. BY constant en-
a taa large amount of goods are now en-
tered here which for a few wears mast have
been wrongfully, as think, entered at 9TH
81 ports instead Of their home port and the
money mus paid has gone to increase the
creolt OF large ports other than our own.
-, a port is first or second or third class in
collect dollar at that port. A few Years
ago 1t cost twelve cents or more to collect 4
dollar at this port but the steady increase If
business given to this port for the past wear
or TWO has reduced the cost to collect a dol
dal very materially. That increase has
amounted to a total of millions of dollars m
vaiue and for the past fifteen months has
marked long way toward a quarter of q
million OF dollars in duties received over fine
i mieeeh months preceding. The question Of
wnetner TINS remains first or second class
port IN character is very largely In the hands
OF the business men of Portland.
ms port is unlike any other port in the
Onlted states. The action of the outward
immediate transportation plan is entirely nm
suited 10 TINS port and should never have
oeon tappiieo. ms is the only port in this
country where goods once entered cannot he
distributed to all parts of the United States
Mltnout again entering foreign territorv
Goods landed here, destined for inland norris
pass through few miles of American terri.
tory, comparatively speaking, of the long dis
lance 10 De travelled, then pass through ano-
ther frontier port and into a foreign connfrv
INTO country which is liable at any time to
become an aggresslvely hostile country. nos
Slply may become so in the very near future.
Ihey then pass through hundreds, almost a
miles OF this foreign territory. again
pass through an American port of entry, De-
Iroit. or possibly through the ports of Chica-
90, LOUISVILLE or Cincinnati. or out into Ore
son, when at last the goods are weighed
sauged, appraised and duties finally collect.
"a. This should be all done in Portland. the
doorway where the goods first enter and
where the tickets should be taken before the
goods again enter a foreign country. / am
'ery glad to say that as fast as the merchants
y PORTLAND have understood the workings of
me immediate transportation plan they have
vailed y themselves of it from New York and
Boston so far as they could do so. The from
pie has been that there is any amount of
oo u9;i transportation out of Portland. but
,1 iltl ", recently but very small amounf into
!, olllana; arrangements have now been
aver aId are n process of negotiation, how
port into New York or Boston n chance -
IIanshlp Dy bonded lines and enter their
goods and pay their duties here. When ali
ms IS done the cost of collecting a dollar
mere VIII be materially reduced.
Portland merchants have grand onnor-
tunity before them, especially if the Canadian
| acme concludes to make Portland one of
her winter ports. By natural location Port
lana must inevitably become in time one of
Inc great distributing ports of the world.
!, nc eoule via PORTLAND and the Canadian
Pacific railroad is some thousand or more
miles nearer Yokohama than Is New York.
That IN these busy days means business
Inc goods must be sent from somewhere to
supply the millions of inhabitants along the
inc OF the Canadian Pacific. Their goods.
I4ioAi A"ih anu ObutI produce tanQ the road
runs !, as through one of the greatest grain pro
1uclng regions on earth, not excepting
husslal, must have an outlet. Portland Is
me natural outlet and natural storehouse for
,nese supplies, which must go back to The
people along that line. Portland merchants
an control 1t to large extent The value
u foreign goods exported from New York.
Is reported IN the last annual report. was
some nine millions, while from Portland If
vas about six millions, making us the second
q tne country. II you had the facilities for
torlng these goods greater than Won now
laVe, the amount handled would he mueh
,reater. great deal now goes to New
ork because it can not be properly handled
lere. -'""Oi0o
In response to question by Mr.. Dana.
dr. Pierce said that those merchants who
vailed themselves of the low freights offered
y tramp steamers to New York and Boston
ould, by securing proper bonded transporta-
ION facilities between those ports and Port
and, arrange to enter their goods at Portland
timer Tor warehouse or immediate consump-
ion.
Secretary Rich called attention to the |
rgent need for more elevator capacity in
'ortland If we had double the elevator
apacity, we might have double the present
lumber of steamers running to and from
his port.